Welcome to The Homesteading RD's Blog!

Here you'll find my most most recent blog posts. Explore everything from companion planting and vertical gardening to raising meat birds and water glassing eggs. Don't miss my farm-to-table recipes!
5 eggs in a nesting box, except one egg has been broken open
Raise Chickens

How to Keep Your Chickens From Eating Their Eggs

Nothing is more frustrating than coming out to the coop to gather eggs, only to face a messy nest with empty eggshells. Argh! To add insult to injury, once hens figure out just how tasty their eggs are, it can be very challenging (if not nearly impossible) to stop.  So, what should you do if

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A tray of blanched broccoli cooling to be frozen. Fresh broccoli laying behind it.
Preserve Your Harvest

How to Freeze Fresh Broccoli (The Right Way!)

Freezing fresh broccoli is one of my favorite ways to preserve it, but there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it. You’ve likely heard of people blanching before freezing, but then others never blanch. So, which way is right? I actually do BOTH ways, depending on how I plan to

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A photo of a large grouping of plants that are mulched with organic straw
Grow Your Own Food

Using Mulch in the Garden: A Comprehensive Guide

I’ll be honest, I haven’t always been a fan of mulch. I went a full 13 years – yes, you read that right – without ever using mulch in my vegetable gardens. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of locating it. I didn’t want to pay for it. I liked the look of

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Grow Your Own Food

Top 10 Perennials for a Low-Maintenance Vegetable Garden

If the thought of starting fresh with a bare garden bed every spring is overwhelming, consider growing a low-maintenance perennial garden instead! There are many different vegetables and herbs that will come back on their own, year after year, making them a simple option for the busy gardener. However, not all perennial vegetables and herbs

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Three wooden spoons on a countertop - one full of schmaltz, one lard, and the other tallow
Farm-to-Table Recipes

Rendering Fat: How to Make Tallow, Lard and Schmaltz

Rendering fat is a traditional skill that involves slowly cooking down animal fats and it’s making a comeback in homestead kitchens. It’s easy to do, affordable, and provides a versatile fat source for high-heat cooking and making things like candles, soap, and skin care products! Another thing that’s great about using animal fats is that

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A photo of our finished covered chicken run with chickens running around outside of it
DIY

How to Build a Covered Chicken Run (Step-By-Step!)

Building a DIY chicken run can feel really daunting, but this project is easier than you may think! Plus, your chickens will love having a safe outdoor space to run around in while you’re at work or off on vacation.  If you’ve been considering a covered run, then this tutorial is perfect for you! A

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